# Download File — Google Drive

> Download one or more files from Google Drive to the /tmp directory or return their contents as buffers. Select multiple files to download a batch in a single run. Use to fetch a file's contents for processing in downstream steps — e.g…

- Key: `google_drive-download-file`
- Type: Action (Write)
- Version: 0.2.2
- App: Google Drive (`google_drive`) — https://pipedream.com/apps/google-drive.md
- This page (HTML): https://pipedream.com/apps/google-drive/actions/download-file
- Hints: open-world
- Source: https://github.com/PipedreamHQ/pipedream/blob/master/components/google_drive/actions/download-file/download-file.mjs

## Description

Download one or more files from Google Drive to the `/tmp` directory or return their contents as buffers. Select multiple files to download a batch in a single run. Use to fetch a file's contents for processing in downstream steps — e.g., parsing a CSV, extracting text from a PDF, or re-uploading to another service. For Google Workspace files (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Apps Script), exports to an Office-compatible format by default: Docs → `.docx`, Sheets → `.xlsx`, Slides → `.pptx`, Drawings → PNG, Apps Script → JSON. Pass `mimeType` to force a specific format. Shortcuts are resolved to their target automatically. Folders, Forms, and My Maps cannot be downloaded via this action. [See the documentation](https://developers.google.com/drive/api/v3/manage-downloads)

## Props

| Prop | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `drive` | `string` | No | The shared drive the file is in, if any. Leave empty for files in My Drive. Options are loaded from the connected account. |
| `fileIds` | `string[]` | No | The Google Drive file(s) to download. Select one or more files to download a batch in a single run. Accepts file IDs (opaque Drive identifiers). Shortcuts are resolved to their target automatically. Options are loaded from the connected account. |
| `fileId` | `string` | No | A single Google Drive file to download. Kept for backwards compatibility — prefer Files for new configurations. If both are set, this file is included alongside the ones in Files. Options are loaded from the connected account. |
| `filePath` | `string` | No | The destination file name or path in the /tmp directory (e.g., /tmp/myFile.csv). Defaults to /tmp/<file name> if omitted. Note: if you set this for a Google Workspace file, the extension you choose should match the Conversion Format; otherwise the file contents may not match the extension. |
| `mimeType` | `string` | No | The format to which to convert the downloaded file if it is a Google Workspace document. If omitted, defaults per source type: Docs → .docx, Sheets → .xlsx, Slides → .pptx, Drawings → PNG, Apps Script → JSON. Options are loaded from the connected account. |
| `syncDir` | `dir` | No | SyncDir |
| `getBufferResponse` | `boolean` | No | If true, returns the file content as a buffer in the output (useful for passing directly to another step) instead of writing it to /tmp. Defaults to false. |

## Run it

**MCP**

```ts
import { Client } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/index.js"
import { StreamableHTTPClientTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/streamableHttp.js"
import { PipedreamClient } from "@pipedream/sdk"

const pd = new PipedreamClient({
  projectId: process.env.PIPEDREAM_PROJECT_ID!,
  clientId: process.env.PIPEDREAM_CLIENT_ID!,
  clientSecret: process.env.PIPEDREAM_CLIENT_SECRET!,
  projectEnvironment: "production",
})

const accessToken = await pd.rawAccessToken

const transport = new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(
  new URL("https://remote.mcp.pipedream.net/v3"),
  {
    requestInit: {
      headers: {
        Authorization: `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
        "x-pd-project-id": process.env.PIPEDREAM_PROJECT_ID!,
        "x-pd-environment": "production",
        "x-pd-external-user-id": "{external_user_id}", // any stable ID for this user in your system
        "x-pd-app-slug": "google_drive",
      },
    },
  },
)

const mcp = new Client({ name: "my-agent", version: "1.0.0" })
await mcp.connect(transport)

const { tools } = await mcp.listTools()

// listTools() hands your model this tool's input schema, so it can
// fill the arguments itself:
const result = await mcp.callTool({
  name: "google_drive-download-file",
  arguments: {
    drive: "Drive",
    fileIds: ["Files"],
  },
})
```

**TypeScript**

```ts
import { PipedreamClient } from "@pipedream/sdk"

const pd = new PipedreamClient({
  projectId: process.env.PIPEDREAM_PROJECT_ID!,
  clientId: process.env.PIPEDREAM_CLIENT_ID!,
  clientSecret: process.env.PIPEDREAM_CLIENT_SECRET!,
  projectEnvironment: "production",
})

const result = await pd.actions.run({
  id: "google_drive-download-file",
  externalUserId: "{external_user_id}", // any stable ID for this user in your system
  configuredProps: {
    google_drive: { authProvisionId: "apn_xxxxxxx" },
    drive: "Drive",
    fileIds: ["Files"],
  },
})

console.log(result)
```

**cURL**

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.pipedream.com/v1/connect/{project_id}/actions/run \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-PD-Environment: production" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {access_token}" \
  -d '{
    "external_user_id": "{external_user_id}",
    "id": "google_drive-download-file",
    "configured_props": {
      "google_drive": { "authProvisionId": "apn_xxxxxxx" },
      "drive": "Drive",
      "fileIds": ["Files"]
    }
  }'
```

---

- App: https://pipedream.com/apps/google-drive.md · All apps: https://pipedream.com/apps